


Returning

by Nightawl



Series: 30 Day OTP Challenge [1]
Category: Sherlock (TV)
Genre: 30 Days OTP Challenge
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-01-03
Updated: 2013-01-03
Packaged: 2017-11-23 11:34:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,324
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/621684
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nightawl/pseuds/Nightawl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Day 1-No matter how right she was, there was one thing she was wrong about; John would never be able to get over the death of his best friend. Sherlock Holmes.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Returning

**Author's Note:**

> After months of debating with myself I've finally decided to do the 30 Day OTP Challenge! These probably won't come everyday but I'll make up for any days I miss.  
> Enjoy!

Day 1 - Holding Hands

It was raining again, it wasn’t as heavy as it had been in the past week, it was more of a light shower. John didn’t care at all, but it was the only thing that kept him from looking at Ellie, his therapist. 

“You need to talk about this John,” Ellie said, sitting in the chair opposite to the doctor’s. She was right, she had always been right but John would never admit that. She had once said to him that he would adapt to civilian life, he eventually did. She told him that he would eventually get over the trauma after the war; he was able to do that too. 

“It’s been three years now, you have to try to get past this,” She continued. No matter how right she was, there was one thing she was wrong about; John would never be able to get over the death of his best friend. Sherlock Holmes. 

“No-” John took a moment to try to compose himself. “Not him,” He said hoarsely. “Not Sherlock. He is – was the best thing that ever happened to me,” He finally turned to Ellie to see her blank expression. John hated coming to see her but it was all she was his only hope of ‘getting over Sherlock’ although he knew it was impossible.

“Right,” Ellie sighed. “I think we’re done today, John,” She said before nearly arranging her paperwork on John, John had already deduced everything she had written about him by her facial expressions but it probably wasn’t hard to guess either. 

Shortly after John left the clinic to head back to his crammed, one bed room apartment. It wasn’t much and John wouldn’t necessarily call it home, there was only one place he called home; the one place he couldn’t bear to go back to. John had lost his home when he lost Sherlock seeing as he couldn’t afford the rent anymore. 

But the truth was - John couldn’t do it anymore; he was tired of the life he now lived. Everyday he would wake up, go to work, come home and then go to the clinic to have his now daily appointment with Ellie. John had given up on visiting Sherlock’s grave a long time ago, his reason was simple. He just couldn’t do it anymore. 

John’s routine had become a constant cycle a year after Sherlock died, a never ending cycle. Until, John had gotten a visitor to his flat for the first time in three years.

****  
After living with Sherlock for nearly two years John had learnt how to observe the world in very fine detail, this gave him the advantage of knowing when things were out of place, fortunately for John he had another advantage. Since he had been an army doctor for more than six years so John knew how to kill a man in less than a minute with or without a gun, some day these skills would be valuable again. Today was, apparently, that day.

As John approached his flat and took out his keys to unlock it he saw the door had three finger prints on the door. The finger prints were more like dots, suggesting the door had been pushed open very carefully so whoever touched it was careful but the finger prints were very noticeable telling him that the door had been pushed hard in order to get into his flat, as it was a fire door it was sometimes hard to open but John didn’t see any other marks on the door meaning the person didn’t force it open also telling him that this person didn’t want to do any damage to his door, which could mean this person didn’t want to get caught, but really, who would notice this feature except for John. 

Or someone with a similar level of intelligence as Sherlock.

“Mycroft,” John calling throwing his door open to find the older Holmes sat on his arm chair. 

“Ah John,” He said with a false smile. “Glad to see you’re still sharp as a tick.”

“What do you want?”

“Nothing in particular, I just-” 

“No,” John spat. “What do you want with me? You rarely visit me unless you want something from me, so out with it,” After many encounters John knew how to you deal with Mycroft to make their meet ups as short as he possibly could.

“There’s someone I want you to see.”

“No.”

“John this could be extremely beneficial to you.”

“No. If it’s another therapist then no,” John growled, he grew very tired of Mycroft, very quickly. “I’m sorry but nothing will ever make me forget your brother,” John cleared his throat when he saw the scowl that was developing on Mycroft’s face. “Wait. How did you get in here? No, how do you know I live here?”

Mycroft didn’t look at John. Instead he spun the tip of his umbrella on the floor. “I have my ways.”

John sighed and shook his head, he had decided he didn’t want to know how Mycroft had gotten in because he didn’t care anymore. All he wanted was Mycroft to be gone and as if he could read his mind Mycroft stood, said goodbye to John and left. Simple as that. 

****  
Later that day John went to his daily appointment with his therapist, to his surprise Ellie wasn’t in her chair when he entered the room. In fact, she didn’t seem to be in the room at all. John walked around the empty room unsure what he should do, until.

“John,” A voice said softly to him from somewhere in the room. A voice he had almost forgotten but rang in his ears as if it had been projected around the whole of London.

John had completely frozen. “Sh-Sherlock,” John managed to force out, he didn’t know if he could turn to find the detective without his knees giving out. However he didn’t need to move because Sherlock had appeared before him from the shadows.

John had come closer him without noticing. Sherlock looked so much different to when John last saw him; his long unruly dark curls had been replaced with short, tamed auburn hair. His skin looked noticeable paler along with his much thinner face and body. But John found some comfort in that Sherlock still wore his Belstaff coat. 

John took a moment to look at Sherlock’s face, he trailed his fingers down Sherlock’s prominent cheek bone and with one smooth moment John took a blow to Sherlock’s face nearly sending the detective flying. 

John composed himself, clenching his fists into balls in the process. “You…bastard,” John snarled. “How are you alive?!” He screeched almost stampeding towards Sherlock, grabbing his shirt and pinning him to the nearest wall in the process. “You were supposed to be dead,” His voice started out violent and aggressive but became hoarse as his said his final words. 

“John,” Sherlock said in his most sincere voice. “I’m sorry I-”

“No,” John growled pushing Sherlock hard against the wall. “You don’t get to do that. You were dead Sherlock. I saw you – I saw you on the pavement covered in blood, dead.”

“John-” 

“You had no pulse Sherlock!” John swallowed to try and get rid of the lump in his throat. 

“John, I had to,” Sherlock said finally looking into the doctor eyes. “I can’t tell you why but believe me John,” The detective managed to release one of John’s hands and twine the doctors fingers with his own, locking onto John’s gaze. “Leaving you was one of the hardest decisions I have ever had to make.”

“But-,” John said bowing his head, Sherlock pulled his hand closer to him so that John’s head rested on his chest. “It’s not fair,” John’s face was muffed as he had buried his head further into Sherlock’s coat.

“I’m here now, John,” Sherlock cooed. “I promise never to leave you again.”

****

**Author's Note:**

> This was only written in a few hours so feel free to point out any mistakes that I've made, reviews are also very welcome.


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